In July of last year I posted to this list asking people to express their preferences between one of two different formats for an NZNOG gathering for this year. As I described them then, the options were: "1/ UniForum NZ Roger De Salis has volunteered to act as convenor for next year's UniForum NZ conference. In general terms, his intention is to stage a conference similar in structure to this year's, though with Linux content much more focussed toward a business audience, and in general a stronger programme. NZNOG would be welcome to participate on more or less the same basis as this year, though presumably making up a smaller proportion of a larger conference. This would probably be at around the same time of year and probably in Auckland. 2/ The University of Waikato The University of Waikato have offered to host a NZNOG gathering, to be held at their main campus in Hamilton. This would be a stand-alone event, with the university providing administrative staff time for registrations and the like. No decision has been made as to when this would be. If held outside university terms, e.g. in February, accommodation on campus would be available at a cost of approximately $35 per night. There would be a cost for the venue, but this would be well below the rate a hotel would charge. The Hamilton option is likely to have a significantly lower cost. It is possible that a university setting would discourage sponsors, who provided a good number of overseas speakers this year. On the other hand, the likely venue photographs well and we haven't asked them yet." I received exactly one clear statement of a preference. A subsequent posting by Tony McGregor confirmed that he was confident that a gathering at The University of Waikato could keep its registration fee very low, possibly as low as zero. I know that Roger De Salis has continued to work on content for a UniForum conference, and intends a Next-Generation Internet stream for that. I'd like now to hear back from people who would actually plan to attend one or other if it were offered a) whether they have a clear preference for one format or the other, and b) whether they're in a position to do any work towards making something happen. If you're making a general comment, by all means send it to the list, but please send statements of personal preference just to me. I plan to summarise feedback more or less as I receive it. - Donald Neal ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "This communication, including any attachments, is confidential. If you are not the intended recipient, you should not read it - please contact me immediately, destroy it, and do not copy or use any part of this communication or disclose anything about it. Thank you." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------